As you can see in the 2014 strategic plan below, this year is an ambitious and bold one for MPP. If you like what you see below, would you please donate to our work?

Medical Marijuana

After years of lobbying and organzing, we’re in the final stages of passing medical marijuana legislation in Maryland, Minnesota, and New York, which would become the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd medical marijuana states. We’re also continuing our efforts to pass a medical marijuana bill in West Virginiabetween 2014 and 2017.

We’re also committed to expanding existing medical marijuana laws. Specifically, in Vermont, we’re working to eliminate the statewide cap of 1,000 patients who are permitted to visit medical marijuana dispensaries. And in Illinois, our efforts involve improving the state’s new medical marijuana law by adding seizure conditions, PTSD, and severe pain as qualifying medical conditions, as well as expanding the current law to include minors.

Decriminalization

In 2014 and 2015, we plan to decriminalize marijuana in Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, and the District of Columbia so that marijuana possession will be a ticketable offense, rather than leading to arrest and jail. In addition, we’re laying the groundwork for decriminalizing marijuana possession in Illinoisby 2017.

Legalization Through State Legislatures

In 2014 or 2015, we intend to pass a bill in Rhode Island that’s similar to the legalization law in Colorado. If we’re successful, Rhode Island will be the first state to legalize marijuana through the legislative process, rather than through a ballot initiative.

Additionally, we will continue making steady progress in our efforts to pass legalization bills in Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Vermontbetween 2015 and 2017. Finally, MPP is actively lobbying to pass a legalization bill in Texasin 2019.

Legalization Through Ballot Initiatives

MPP’s campaign committee in Alaskais working to pass a statewide ballot initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol in November 2014. If we’re successful, this would make Alaska the third state to legalize marijuana through the ballot initiative process.

In Nevada, we’re conducting a statewide signature drive in 2014, with the purpose of placing a legalization initiative on the November 2016 ballot.

MPP is also busy in Arizona, where we’re drafting a legalization ballot initiative that will be completed by this fall. The signature drive would then begin, with the goal of legalizing marijuana in November 2016.

This year in California, we’ll continue building support for a legalization initiative that will be brought to voters in November 2016. In addition, we’re assisting a coalition of organizations in an effort to pass medical marijuana regulations in Sacramento this spring.

In 2014, we’ll continue generating positive media coverage in Maineby passing approximately three local ballot initiatives in November 2014, with the goal of legalizing marijuana statewide in November 2016.

We’re also assisting our allies with the Oregoninitiative that will likely be on the ballot in November 2014.

In addition, this year, we’ll be closely monitoring Massachusettsand Montanato ensure that we can safely start a coalition drafting process in both states in early 2015, with the intention of placing initiatives on these states’ November 2016 ballots.

Congress

MPP plans to persuade a team of U.S. senators to introduce a states’ rights marijuana bill in the Senate and work to pass it through the Senate Judiciary Committee. We need 10 “yes” votes on the 18-member committee in order for the bill to reach the Senate floor.

In the House, we’re working to canvass all freshmen and swing votes on the Rohrabacher-Farr medical marijuana amendment, which would stop the U.S. Justice Department from spending tax dollars to interfere with state medical marijuana laws. We hope to generate 190 votes for this amendment in approximately June. While this number of votes wouldn’t be enough to pass this legislation, it would be groundbreaking in that it would exceed the support garnered in 2007 by 25 votes.

Public Education Efforts

National and local media outlets are covering the marijuana issue more than ever before. Communicating to voters through news coverage is the most cost-effective way to increase public support for ending marijuana prohibition, so we need to keep the issue in the news.

In addition, we’re building our online presence by steadily increasing our number of email subscribers, Facebook “likes,” and Twitter followers, in addition to increasing our web traffic at mpp.org.